CHICAGO – The University of North Dakota softball team picked up its fourth win of the season in a split against UIC on Tuesday afternoon.

“We hit the ball well and scored the runs we needed to in order to secure the win,” head coach Eric Oakley said of his team’s win. “The offense clicked today and the defense came through when it needed to. Kaylin VanDomelen adjusted in the circle late in the game, and it was a good team win.”

In the third inning, Emily Bell hit a three-run homer to give UND a 5-0 lead, and a single by Chewning in the fourth scored Autumn Cervantez to extend UND’s lead to 6-0. The Flames then went on to score five runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut into the lead.

However, North Dakota responded with its own five-run inning in the top of the fifth. The five runs came off a combination of three hits and two errors as UND took an 11-5 lead.

Keeping up with the five-run innings, UIC posted another five runs to bring the score within one. Taylor Hansen came in to pitch for VanDomelen during the fifth inning, but VanDomelen returned in the sixth and seventh innings to shut down the UIC offense. VanDomelen pitched a total of six innings, recording four strikeouts, while giving up eight runs on nine hits.

In the second game of the doubleheader, UIC kept UND from repeating its success at the plate and went on to defeat North Dakota 10-2.

“We struggled at the plate in the nightcap,” Oakley said. “Some individuals did well, but we didn’t string it together. We were able to get a look at some players who don’t get as many opportunities and there were some positives from them, which bodes well for depth down the road.”

UIC opened up to a 4-0 lead after three innings and UND responded with two runs in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit in half. A single by Elizabeth Cudney to right field scored Chewning, and a ground ball by Megan Keegan to shortstop scored Bell.

Unfortunately, UIC scored another five runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend its lead to 9-2. The Flames then used a walk-off homer in the bottom of the sixth to secure the 10-2 win.

Chewning started in the circle for UND in the nightcap, pitching 3.1 innings before freshman Megan Hedstrom came if for relief.

Overall on the day, Babrowski went 3-6 (.500), scoring two runs and recording one RBI. Bell went 2-5 (.400) while scoring three runs and recording 3 RBI with one homer.

North Dakota finishes its eight-day road trip with a doubleheader against Wisconsin on Wednesday, April 9. The first game in Madison, Wis., is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.